Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel, and the Apocalypse of St. John · Isaac Newton
CHAP. XIII.
_Of the King who did according to his will, and magnified himself above every God, and honoured _Mahuzzims_, and regarded not the desire of women_. In the first ages of the Christian religion the Christians of every city were governed by a Council of Presbyters, and the President of the Council was the Bishop of the city. The Bishop and Presbyters of one city meddled not with the affairs of another city, except by admonitory letters or messages. Nor did the Bishops of several cities meet together in Council before the time of the Emperor _Commodus_: for they could not meet together without the leave of the _Roman_ governors of the Provinces. But in the days of that Emperor they began to meet in Provincial Councils, by the leave of the governors; first in _Asia_, in opposition to the _Cataphrygian_ Heresy, and soon after in other places and upon other occasions. The Bishop of the chief city, or Metropolis of the _Roman_ Province, was usually made President of the Council; and hence came the authority of Metropolitan Bishops above that of other Bishops within the same Province. Hence also it was that the Bishop of _Rome_ in _Cyprian_'s days called himself the Bishop of Bishops. As soon as the Empire became Christian, the _Roman_ Emperors began to call general Councils out of all the Provinces of the Empire; and by prescribing to them what points they should consider, and influencing them by their interest and power, they set up what party they pleased. Hereby the _Greek_ Empire, upon the division of the _Roman_ Empire into the _Greek_ and _Latin_ Empires, became _the King who_, in matters of religion, _did according to his will_; _and_, in legislature, _exalted and magnified himself above every God_: and at length, by the seventh general Council, established the worship of the images and souls of dead men, here called _Mahuzzims_.
The same King placed holiness in abstinence from marriage. _Eusebius_ in his Ecclesiastical history [1] tells us, that _Musanus_ wrote a tract against those who fell away to the heresy of the _Encratites_, which was then newly risen, and had introduced pernicious errors; and that _Tatian_, the disciple of _Justin_, was the author thereof; and that _Irenæus_ in his first book against heresies teaches this, writing of _Tatian_ and his heresy in these words: _A Saturnino & Marcione profecti qui vocantur Continentes, docuerunt non contrahendum esse matrimonium; reprobantes scilicet primitivum illud opificium Dei, & tacitè accusantes Deum qui masculum & fæminam condidit ad procreationem generis humani. Induxerunt etiam abstinentiam ab esu eorum quæ animalia appellant, ingratos se exhibentes ergo eum qui universa creavit Deum. Negant etiam primi hominis salutem. Atque hoc nuper apud illos excogitatum est, Tatiano quodam omnium primo hujus impietatis auctore: qui Justini auditor, quamdiu cum illo versatus est, nihil ejusmodi protulit. Post martyrium autem illius, ab Ecclesia se abrumpens, doctoris arrogantia elatus ac tumidus, tanquam præstantior cæteris, novam quandam formam doctrinæ conflavit: Æonas invisibiles commentus perinde ac Valentinus: asserens quoque cum Saturnino & Marcione, matrimonium nihil aliud esse quam corruptionem ac stuprum: nova præterea argumenta ad subvertendam Adami salutem excogitans. Hæc Irenæus de Hæresi quæ tunc viguit Encratitarum._ Thus far _Eusebius_. But altho the followers of _Tatian_ were at first condemned as hereticks by the name of _Encratites_, or _Continentes_; their principles could not be yet quite exploded: for _Montanus_ refined upon them, and made only second marriages unlawful; he also introduced frequent fastings, and annual, fasting days, the keeping of _Lent_, and feeding upon dried meats. The _Apostolici_, about the middle of the third century, condemned marriage, and were a branch of the disciples of _Tatian_. The _Hierocitæ_ in _Egypt_, in the latter end of the third century, also condemned marriage. _Paul_ the _Eremite_ fled into the wilderness from the persecution of _Decius_, and lived there a solitary life till the reign of _Constantine_ the great, but made no disciples. _Antony_ did the like in the persecution of _Dioclesian_, or a little before, and made disciples; and many others soon followed his example.
Hitherto the principles of the _Encratites_ had been rejected by the Churches; but now being refined by the Monks, and imposed not upon all men, but only upon those who would voluntarily undertake a monastic life, they began to be admired, and to overflow first the _Greek_ Church, and then the _Latin_ also, like a torrent. _Eusebius_ tells us, [2] that _Constantine_ the great had those men in the highest veneration, who dedicated themselves wholly to the divine philosophy; and that he almost venerated the most holy company of Virgins perpetually devoted to God; being certain that the God to whom he had consecrated himself did dwell in their minds. In his time and that of his sons, this profession of a single life was propagated in _Egypt_ by _Antony_, and in _Syria_ by _Hilarion_; and spred so fast, that soon after the time of _Julian_ the Apostate a third part of the _Egyptians_ were got into the desarts of _Egypt_.
They lived first singly in cells, then associated into _coenobia_ or convents; and at length came into towns, and filled the Churches with Bishops, Presbyters and Deacons. _Athanasius_ in his younger days poured water upon the hands of his master _Antony_; and finding the Monks faithful to him, made many of them Bishops and Presbyters in _Egypt_: and these Bishops erected new Monasteries, out of which they chose Presbyters of their own cities, and sent Bishops to others. The like was done in _Syria_, the superstition being quickly propagated thither out of _Egypt_ by _Hilarion_ a disciple of _Antony_. _Spiridion_ and _Epiphanius_ of _Cyprus_, _James_ of _Nisibis_, _Cyril_ of _Jerusalem_, _Eustathius_ of _Sebastia_ in _Armenia_, _Eusebius_ of _Emisa_, _Titus_ of _Bostra_, _Basilius_ of _Ancyra_, _Acacius_ of _Cæsarea_ in _Palestine_, _Elpidius_ of _Laodicea_, _Melitius_ and _Flavian_ of _Antioch_, _Theodorus_ of _Tyre_, _Protogenes_ of _Carrhæ_, _Acacius_ of _Berrhæa_, _Theodotus_ of _Hierapolis_, _Eusebius_ of _Chalcedon_, _Amphilochius_ of _Iconium_, _Gregory Nazianzen_, _Gregory Nyssen_, and _John Chrysostom_ of _Constantinople_, were both Bishops and Monks in the fourth century. _Eustathius_, _Gregory Nazianzen_, _Gregory Nyssen_, _Basil_, &c. had Monasteries of Clergymen in their cities, out of which Bishops were sent to other cities; who in like manner erected Monasteries there, till the Churches were supplied with Bishops out of these Monasteries. Hence _Jerome_, in a Letter written about the year 385, [3] saith of the Clergy: _Quasi & ipsi aliud sint quam Monachi, & non quicquid in Monachos dicitur redundet in Clericos qui patres sunt Monachorum. Detrimentum pecoris pastoris ignominia est_. And in his book against _Vigilantius_: _Quid facient Orientis Ecclesiæ? Quæ aut Virgines Clericos accipiunt, aut Continentes, aut si uxores habuerint mariti esse desistunt_. Not long after even the Emperors commanded the Churches to chuse Clergymen out of the Monasteries by this Law.
_Impp. Arcad & Honor. AA. Cæsario PF. P._ [4] _Si quos forte Episcopi deesse sibi Clericos arbitrantur, ex monachorum numero rectius ordinabunt: non obnoxios publicis privatisque rationibus cum invidia teneant, sed habeant jam probatos. Dat. _vii._ Kal. Aug. Honorio A. _iv._ & Eutychianio Coss._ A.C. 598. The _Greek_ Empire being now in the hands of these _Encratites_, and having them in great admiration, _Daniel_ makes it a characteristick of the King who doth according to his will, that _he should not regard the desire of Women._ Thus the Sect of the _Encratites_, set on foot by the _Gnosticks_, and propagated by _Tatian_ and _Montanus_ near the end of the second century; which was condemned by the Churches of that and the third century, and refined upon by their followers; overspread the _Eastern_ Churches in the fourth century, and before the end of it began to overspread the _Western_. Henceforward the Christian Churches having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof, came into the hands of the _Encratites_: and the Heathens, who in the fourth century came over in great numbers to the Christians, embraced more readily this sort of Christianity, as having a greater affinity with their old superstitions, than that of the sincere Christians; who by the lamps of the seven Churches of _Asia_, and not by the lamps of the Monasteries, had illuminated the Church Catholic during the three first centuries.
The _Cataphrygians_ brought in also several other superstitions: such as were the doctrine of Ghosts, and of their punishment in Purgatory, with prayers and oblations for mitigating that punishment, as _Tertullian_ teaches in his books _De Anima_ and _De Monogamia_. They used also the sign of the cross as a charm. So _Tertullian_ in his book _de Corona militis_: _Ad omnem progressum atque promotum, ad omnem aditum & exitum, ad vestitum, ad calceatum, ad lavacra, ad mensas, ad lamina, ad cubilia, ad sedilia, quacunque nos conversatio exercet, frontem crucis signaculo terimus_. All these superstitions the Apostle refers to, where he saith: _Now the Spirit speaketh expresly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils_, the _Dæmons_ and Ghosts worshipped by the heathens, _speaking lyes in hypocrisy_, about their apparitions, the miracles done by them, their reliques, and the sign of the cross, _having consciences seared with a hot iron_; _forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats_, &c. 1 Tim. iv. 1,2,3. From the _Cataphrygians_ these principles and practices were propagated down to posterity. _For the mystery of iniquity_ did _already work_ in the _Apostles_ days in the _Gnosticks_, continued to work very strongly in their offspring the _Tatianists_ and _Cataphrygians_, and was to work _till that man of sin_ should _be revealed_; _whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power and signs, and lying wonders, and all deceivableness of unrighteousness_; coloured over with a form of _Christian_ godliness, but without the power thereof, 2 _Thess_. ii. 7-10.
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